Take a Course, or Just Write?
As a chess master, I sometimes give exhibitions at shopping malls, playing numerous passersby at once. One twentyish opponent at an upstate New York mall gave me a decent fight before succumbing, then asked if chessplayers could make decent money, because he knew he was good.
Poor deluded fellow – he thought he was ready to challenge all comers. He’d had no exposure to the world of organized chess, and he didn’t know that a huge body of knowledge about the game had been built up over centuries, published, and constantly refined. In serious competition against a typical tournament veteran, this guy’s chances would be zero.
Since I subscribe to Writer’s Digest (a fine magazine that I don’t read as closely as I ought), I often receive emailed ads for their writing courses. Part of me thinks, “I should take one of these courses, to get inspiration, feedback, a sense of community, and hard-won knowledge from genuine writing pros.” Another part responds, “You already know how to put words together; don’t spend hundreds of bucks on yet another delaying tactic!” (The remaining part of my brain is pondering the eternal question: “What shall I eat next?”)
Every time I’ve received those ads, I’ve opted to forego formal instruction. Yet I wonder: am I being as ignorant and bullheaded as the mall shopper who thought he knew enough to be a chess champion? Should I admit that I’m a novice at novel-writing and actually try to learn something?